Watermelon Art - Party Centerpieces

Dried Crispy Apples

There's an empty shelf when I'm making nuts... I'll try some apple pieces for trail mix!


1   Choose firm, ripe, blemish-free apples for dehydrating. Fully ripe fruit makes the best tasting dehydrated product because the sugars are fully developed.

Step 2

Wash the fruit well and air dry, or dry with a clean towel.

Step 3

Stir 1 tsp. citric acid into 1 qt. cold water in a large bowl. Alternatively, mix equal parts of lemon juice and cold water in a large bowl. Either of these preparations are sufficient to pre-treat the fruit to prevent darkening, facilitate drying and enhance the destruction of harmful bacteria during the drying process.

Step 4

Slice apples either peeled or unpeeled, depending on your preference, but remove the core and seeds prior to slicing. Peeled apples keep their shape better, but unpeeled apple slices have a better mouth-feel when eating the finished product. Ensure that the slices are relatively equal in width, to facilitate drying. Apple slices for apple chips should be sliced as thin as possible, approximately 1/8 inch.

Step 5

Place sliced apples immediately into the citric acid or lemon juice bath. Allow them to soak for about 10 minutes. Remove from the solution with a slotted spoon and place on bakers' racks to dry prior to loading into the dehydrator.

Step 6

Place apple slices in a single layer in the dehydrator. Apple slices will dry to a leathery consistency in about 6 hours and turn crispy in about 8 to 10 hours. Turn the fruit over and rearrange every 3 to 4 hours for even drying.

Step 7

Remove the apple slices from dehydrator, place on racks and allow to cool to room temperature.

Step 8

Condition the fruit by loosely packing into large glass jars when it has cooled to room temperature. Fill the jars about two-thirds full. Cover but do not tighten the lid. Allow the jars to sit in a warm, dry and well-ventilated area from 4 to 10 days. Shake or stir the contents daily to separate the pieces and ensure they are thoroughly dry.

Step 9

Pack fully conditioned dried apple chips into small glass jars or plastic bags for permanent storage. Label with contents and date packed.

Read more: How To Make Crispy Apple Chips with a Dehydrator | Garden Guides http://www.gardenguides.com/125296-make-crispy-apple-chips-dehydrator.html#ixzz2TTPKvHG7

Beauty Tips

This is my new favorite beauty tips site.
Cara has great taste and is fun to learn from.  The videos are great! Contour and highlight is stunning!

GAPS Moroccan-Spiced Stuffed Squash + SEEDS!

Items in bold are work ahead items.  Can make veggie-meat mixture ahead.
  from :http://goodlookingcook.blogspot.com/2011/10/gaps-moroccan-spiced-stuffed-acorn.html

Prep Tim: 15 Minutes 

Cook Time: 25 Minutes

Serves 8 

 

4 acorn squash, halved and seeded

2 tablespoons coconut oil

1 large onion, chopped

4 stalks celery, chopped

3 carrots, chopped

1 banana pepper (optional, or use cayenne)
[10 oz thawed package kale]

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons curry powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground allspice

1 pound ground meat, browned (tried unbrowned; 1/2 bag beans, cooked, 1t. salt, 1/2 t. ginger-both; worked)

1 cup meat stock

1/2 cup raisins and/ or chopped apples

½ cup/stick butter

4 cloves garlic, minced

Place squash, cut-side down on baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes at 375o, until flesh is tender. I cook these earlier in the day, turning off the oven after 15 minutes and leaving in the oven until dinner to keep warm.

Heat oil and add onions, brown slightly before adding celery, carrots and peppers [and opt. kale].

Salt and let come back up to heat before adding spices.

After one minute, add the cooked meat of choice (or even beans) and broth[I skip]. Simmer and reduce to nearly dry. Once the pan is nearly dry, add the apples and melt a whole stick of butter (yeah, baby!) in the pan.When the butter has melted, place the minced garlic in the pool and stir.Turn off the heat.Salt the squash and fill with meat and vegetable mixture.

 

 

DON'T TOSS THE SEEDS! Soak for at least 7 hours (?).  Bake them with salt, olive oil and butter. :)

Frying: Stir the pumpkin seeds around in the skillet with a spoon continuously until they expand (balloon) and start to brown (and sort of squeal).

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/459453-how-to-roast-and-pan-fry-pumpkin-seeds/#ixzz2UAWZVCby

GAPS Testimonials

I love hearing people's stories of healing!

Vaccines:The Benefits, the Risks, and Choices

Best research I've found on vaccines!  Just what science and the CDC says.

Cooking Repertoire - Favorites

Our favorite dishes. Mostly GAPS legal.  I use an excel spreadsheet to plan my meals and make my grocery list.  I plan five meals Mon- Sat, have leftover or something simple for Sunday and the other day left.  One soup per week.  Salad and/or soup for lunches.  Eggs, sausage/patties, and smoothies for breakfast.


Soups
 ------------

Chili Squash  Curry Coconut soup Onion Curry Coconut soup Kale soup Lentil soup VegBean Soup StuffedCabbageSoup Chicken Soup   Beef

 ---------
Taco meat - for salad, veggie stir fries, Stuffed Peppers/Zukes and Stuffed Cabbage Soup.
Morrocan Spiced Stuffed Squash
Stuffed Peppers/ Zucchini - add kale/spinach and cauli to the Taco Meat for filling
Meatloaf*
Slow Cooker Chuck Stew  just seasoned with paprika,salt, pepper
Cheeseburger, with garlic & onions
Grill: Shishkabobs - onion, pepper, and butternut squash




Chicken
------------
Jerk
Sticky
Parmesan
Bryan
Man-pleasing
Curry
Soy
Worcestershire
Poultry seasoned: Rosemary,Sage,Thyme
Indian Butter ( expensive?)
Chicken Salad 


To try:
Nuggets
Teriyaki
 Cajun




Ground Turkey
--------------
Sausage
 Chili
Pasta Meat Sauce




Bacon
 -------
Breakfast for Dinner (Fried egg sandwiches with cheese and bacon)
on Salad


Fish
-----------
Salmon patties
Salmon  Loaf*
Dilled or Cajun Baked White Fish (frozen)



Vegetarian Main Dishes
-----------

Peanut Curry Coconut Vegetables

Chard Egg Casserole

Salad
---------
Garden:peppers lettuce beets peas cucumber celery radishes mung beans fried onion, cheese, nuts
Spinach, Roast Onion, Goat Cheese, Pecan, Cranberry
Spinach, Strawberry, Walnut, Feta
with Egg Salad
with Chicken salad
 with Taco meat, mex style
with Chili
 with Chicken on top
with Canned salmon on top
Cobb: Poultry, blue cheese, boiled egg
Fruit:
These three for winter:
Sue Gregg's Ambrosia, with some alterations
Spinach, berry, glazed nuts, mandarin oranges
Strawberry Cindy, Sue Gregg Jello




Veggie Sides
 ---------
Carrots
Onion-Pepper Stirfry
Fresh Brussel Sprouts
Summer Squash
All Winter squashes (spaghetti too)
Artichoke Spinach Dip*
Broccoli (w or w/o cheese)
Cauliflower


Quick Snacks
---------

Veggie sticks/chips and Dip (salad dressing-mayo-sourcrea)
Cheese and crackers
Apples n pnut butter
Fruit (dried/ frozen)
Popcorn
Smoothie
Trail mix


*Uses oven / For winter - Summer: try to find crock pot method?

Top 10 Produce Most Nutritional Bang for Your Buck

Rankings of the best, cheapest veggies:

1. Cabbage*
2. Collard greens
3. Mustard greens
4. Turnip greens
5. Carrots
6. Cauliflower heads
7. Brussels sprouts
8. Broccoli florets* [get frozen]
9. Spinach  [get frozen]
10. Cauliflower florets

So if you want to spend only so much money on fresh vegetables, go green -- as in cabbage and leafy greens. They'll bring the most nutrition for relatively little money.

You may wonder why sweet potatoes didn't make the Top 10 or why broccoli is lower on the list. After all, both made The Best 10 Foods list created by the food police at Center for Science in the Public Interest. It's because they're relatively pricey. The list above emphasizes foods based on both cost and nutrition.
 *EWG says these have less pesticide residue.

Fruit:

1. Watermelon
2. Plums
3. Oranges
4. Apples
5. Strawberries
6. Cantaloupe
7. Grapefruit
8. Bananas
9. Kiwi
10. Peaches

[Blueberries & Cherries*
So if you want to spend only so much money on fruit, go with watermelon, plums, oranges and apples to get the most nutrition for relatively little dough.
(The nutritional scores for various produce were determined by the ANDI (Aggregate Nutrient Density Index) rating method used by the Whole Foods chain and others.  )

Occasional veggies to reference for my menu:

Summer Squash
Winter  Squash*
 Peas*
Peppers, Garlic and Onions
 Eggplant
Cucumber
 Asparagus
 Bok Choy
 Kale
 Chinese cabbage
Beet greens

just for for salad/salsa:
tomato
celery
red cabbage
beets


*get frozen

Avoiding Irradiated Foods

Avoid this symbol!

"The FDA maintains that irradiated foods are no different from non-irradiated foods (which is not surprising considering they also consider meat from cloned animals the same as non-cloned meat). Yet, right on their own Web site, they say, “Irradiation can produce changes in food, similar to changes caused by cooking, but in smaller amounts.”

"Well, there are vast differences between a cooked food and a raw one, and the FDA seems to be oblivious to these. They have also done an excellent job of ignoring the alarming data on food irradiation that has spanned over four decades."

Read more

Repost: Quick Food Ideas for Traveling on the GAPS Diet

from: http://gapsdietjourney.com/2010/08/food-ideas-while-on-vacation-and-staying-on-the-gaps-diet/

• grilled chicken/steak/pork chop option with vegetables or salad from a “decent” restaurant

• Larabars

• peanut butter

• apples cut up

• carrot and celery sticks

• (the above) dipped in peanut butter (or almond or any nut butter)

• freeze meat and take it out right before heading to the airport. Butter, ghee, VCO or some fat in a container and carry it along with the meat.

• Beef jerky

• hard boiled eggs

• raw zuccinni

• Liver

• Properly soaked nuts

• avocado – cut in half, put back together

• find the nearest Whole Foods (kraut, salad and other things)

• Many restaurants will also work with special orders if you tell them you have food allergies.

• Houlihans

• Outback (Order the meat without the special seasoning and substitute additional steamed veggies (without the seasoning) for anything not GAPS-legal. Also any other steak and seafood place generally works.)

• Chipotle- Order a carnitas bowl (no rice or beans) with the tomato salsa, lettuce and guacamole.

• Jamba Juice- They have a few all fruit smoothies that are OK.

• Hamburgers with just lettuce and tomato. If you get stuck you can always do that. In-n-out would probably be the safest of the fast foods. Make sure to tell them no seasoning.

• Order things without spices and without butter if not currently on butter. Most restaurants are pretty accommodating.

• cooking up some meat, chicken, etc., freezing it, bringing it in your suitcase and when you go out just order a plain salad, bring some olive oil, and throw on your own protein?

• Hamburgers.

• McDonald’s ¼ pounder is 100% beef.

• Five Guys burgers also has 100% beef patties.

• Easier to eat at real restaurants (i.e., not chains, not fast food).   The chains get their food shipped to them already semi-prepared so it’s tough for them to take sauces and ingredients away.
  
  

  • Biscuits (Coconut or almond)

  
  You can read the original post here.